This is a chapter from an upcoming book, Hope in the Death of a Baby: A Deeper Dive Into What the Bible Says About Pregnancy and Infant Loss.
Is My Baby An Angel?
They are not set in the back part
of heaven, but they are brought nigh by the blood of Christ... They are not
merely as the angels, but they are part of the body of Christ, His chosen ones,
who shall sing the song of Moses and the Lamb. ~ Charles Spurgeon
“Heaven gained another angel,” goes the saying, “Another
angel gained its wings.” It’s a nice sentiment, but is it accurate? The idea
that babies become angels comes from a few different places.
For some it is just hopeful thinking based on popular
culture. Others have seen the cute little cherubs from Renaissance paintings invented
to look like human infants. Some religions, like Mormonism, Swedenborgianism,
and various Gnostic sects have taught that there is an evolution from man to
angel to deity. Others have read Jesus’ statement that in heaven the angels of
children always behold the face of God, and interpret it to believe a baby
becomes an angel in heaven. Let’s look at this relationship between babies, angels, and God.
Angels Are Created Beings
First, the idea that angels were once men and will soon be
gods is easy to refute. Psalm 148 looks at the creation event and it explicitly
says that God commanded angels to be created, and they were created (Psalm
148:2,5). On the rare chance that I meet someone who thinks they are God or a
little god with creation powers, I have held out a hand full of nothing and
said, “If you are God, please command an angel to be created.” It’s an easy
divinity test, if you can’t create an angel out of thin air, then you are not
God (Compare John 1:3).
About one of the chief angels, God said, “You were blameless
in all your ways, from the day you were created…” (Ezekiel 28:15). Angels are
created, they do not evolve; they have not transformed from human to cherub,
they were created whole and complete.
Some of those angels fell and sinned against heaven, such as
the angel described in Ezekiel 28,
...until unrighteousness was found in
you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your
midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of
God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub… ~ Ezekiel 28:15-16
Guardian Angels
angels were ministering to him (Mark 1:13). Jesus is also clear that babies have angels assigned to them (Matthew 18:10), as do all of his saints who are to inherit eternal life (Compare Psalm 91:11 and Psalm 34:7). We might think that if we have a guardian angel or a team of angels, that nothing bad could ever happen to us. After all, angels are terrifying and powerful (Compare Matthew 28:2-4, 2 Kings 19:35, Revelation 10:1-3).
So it would be nice if they kept us from all harm; but their
job is not to keep us safe, it’s to ensure we reach heaven (Hebrews 1:14), and
they’ll never lose a single soul destined for heaven because Jesus won’t let
them (John 10:28-29). The Bible doesn’t say that Job had a guardian angel, but we
see that God allowed fallen angels to attack him with limitations (Job 1:12,
2:6). In Revelation 13:7-8,12 all authority is given to the servants of
antichrist to wage war on the saints. We should not expect that God’s angels
are withdrawn at this point, but that they will double-down on their duties to
ensure all of God’s saints reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9). We are invincible
until God says otherwise, for God has appointed a day and a way for us to enter
into glory (Revelation 13:10, Hebrews 9:27).
Therefore, if something bad has happened to you or someone
you love, it is not because God was surprised or his angels were overpowered,
but because he is working a perfect plan of redemption written from the
foundation of the earth.
One of the worst things that happened to human beings was
that they also fell, yet in their fall, we see the most important difference
between humans and angels.
The Human Redeemer
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of all acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am
foremost/chief (1 Timothy 1:15). There is one mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus… (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus came to live and die to save a very
specific people:
Since therefore the children share
in flesh and blood, [Jesus] himself likewise partook of the same things, that
through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the
devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong
slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the off-spring
of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect,
so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of
God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ~ Hebrews 2:14-17,
emphasis mine
Jesus put on human flesh and blood so that he could die for
humans, for there is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood
(Hebrews 9:22). Angels have no Saviour, they are either elect (1 Timothy 5:21)
in no need of forgiveness, or they are demons prepared for torment (Matthew
25:41) with no hope of forgiveness. If a human being were to become an angel,
there would be nothing to gain, and actually much to be lost.
Angels are Christ's servants, but
the saints are His members. Christ never took upon Him the nature of angels,
but the nature of man; and thus, those little ones gathered into His bosom are
knit to Him in a union that angels themselves do not share. ~ Matthew Henry
Angels long to look into this redemptive power and saving
relationship that mankind enjoys with God through Christ and his Spirit (1
Peter 1:12). But, for the elect angels there is no redemption required and for
fallen angels there is no redemption available.
While it doesn’t feel like it now, it is far superior to
remain a human being when we get to heaven, for then we will be perfected to
look like the perfect Son of Man (Jesus’ most used title for himself).
Made Lower Than the Angels
All angels are magnificent, even in their fallen state. Because
they are physically closer to God than humans are, such as directly in the
throne room of God, we think they are the highest form of creation. Their
nearness to the throne of grace literally and figuratively sets them alight to
reflect the glory of God (see Isaiah 6:2). All angels are cherubs with the
plural being cherubim; some cherubim are called “seraph” (also spelled tsaraph),
with the plural being seraphim, which means blazing ones.
Because of their magnificence the elect angels can easily be
mistaken for deity (Revelation 19:10, Revelation 22:8-9), and fallen angels
still lead people astray by masquerading as servants of righteousness and
angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
It's no wonder then that Psalm 8:5 says that mankind was
made lower than the angels. But, Hebrews 2:7-9 clarifies that this subjugation
was only for “a little while,” indicating that mankind or a single man will be
exalted above the angels someday. This was primarily fulfilled in the man Jesus
Christ.
Some erroneous beliefs would declare that Jesus was an angel
from eternity past (some say created, some say uncreated), but the scriptures
are clear that he never was an angel, nor did he become an angel. Rather,
In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made… And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as
the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ~ John 1:1-3,14
While he is the preeminent human being, crowned with glory
and honor and risen and reigning over all creation, he is not the only one who
has been raised above angels. Paul asked a question that he seems to intend as
rhetorical, which completely rocked my world, “Do you not know that we are to
judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:3). Smarter men than I have pointed out that
the word used for judge means both the condemnation of fallen angels, and an
exalted state of dominion over the elect angels.
In only one sense will we be made equal to the angels: that
in heaven we cannot die (Luke 20:36). But even in this equality it is far
better to be a human. For a human being on earth has a perishable body; we know
what it is to be frail and vulnerable and to taste the bitterness of sin, suffering,
and death, so it will be oh so sweet when we put off this perishable body and
put on an immortal imperishable body (1 Corinthians 15:50-54).
I feel bad for angels; they have perfect bodies without
knowing the glory of a redeemed body. Their body just works; they don’t
understand the pain or suffering or destitution of a broken body that groans
constantly for salvation (2 Corinthians 5:1-10) or has received it (1 John
3:1-3).
The Human Redemption Story
Babies in heaven, even those that don’t know their right
hand from their left hand (Jonah 4:11), have a better understanding of
suffering and redemption than angels, and will be imperishable reminders to
angels of how amazing God’s grace truly is, since they are risen and reigning
with their Saviour. Because of your sufferings, Christ is actively bringing you
to glory, perfecting you through trials, and sanctifying you, not ashamed to
call you brother or sister (Hebrews 2:10-11). This is another definition of Tsaraph,
to be cleansed by fire, such as,
I will put this third into the
fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is
tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, “They
are my people”; and they will say, “The Lord is my God.” ~ Zechariah 13:9
(emphasis mine to point out Tsaraph)
1 Peter 1:7 is the New Testament version using the Greek
word Dokimazo as the refining fire,
In this you rejoice, though now
for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so
that the tested genuineness of your faith–more precious than gold that perishes
though it is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory
and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (emphasis mine to point out
Dokimazo)
Or as John Rippon said,
When
through fiery trials thy pathways
shall lie,
My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design,
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
In this, his suffering is
the key reason that Jesus was exalted higher than the angels, and why we will
be exalted above angels as well, when we reach heaven’s joys!
In that superb old hymn, Holy, Holy, the Angels Sing,
Johnson Oatman puts it this way,
Then
the angels stand and listen,
for they cannot join that song,
Like the sound of many waters,
by that happy, blood-washed throng;
For they sing about great trials,
battles fought and vict’ries won,
And they praise the great Redeemer,
who hath said to them, “Well done.”
Holy,
holy, is what the angels sing,
And I expect to help them make
the courts of heaven ring;
But when I sing redemption’s story,
they will fold their wings,
For angels never felt the joys
that our salvation brings.
I disagree with Oatman on one small point: he says we’ll
help the angels to make heaven ring. I say the angels will help us. Heaven is
for us, not for them!
The Dwelling Place of God
While the Bible describes multitudes of angels in heaven,
their abode is not the purpose of heaven. “The dwelling place of God is with
men” (Revelation 21:3). Angels serve important functions in heaven (and the new
creation) as guards (Hebrews 12:22-23), transportation (Matthew 24:31),
bouncers (Matthew 13:41), music (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8, 8:6), heralds (Luke 2:10), and
ministering spirits to take care of God’s elect (Hebrews 1:14, Matthew 4:11). But
heaven is not prepared for them.
Jesus told his disciples, “I go to prepare a place for you”
(John 14:2-3, compare Matthew 25:34, 1 Corinthians 2:9, Hebrews 11:16,
Revelation 21:2), emphasizing that heaven is a prepared place for a prepared
people. In another sense the Spirit of Christ dwells in you right now (if
you’ve been born again), a privilege that no angel can even fathom.
Certainly, angels will enjoy their place in heaven, but if
given the option to be a human being or an angel in heaven, it is much better
to be a redeemed, Spirit-indwelt, servant of the Lord
than an angel.
In saying this, I am not blaspheming these glorious ones
even one bit, they truly are magnificent, but their glory is dwarfed by the
glory to be revealed even in the tiniest and least of saints in heaven. I think
where angels really miss out is while we’re still here on earth.
The Limitations of Angels
Has an angel ever led anyone to Christ? Has a child? Psalm 8
further speaks of God establishing his strength through the voices of babies
and infants (compare Matthew 21:16).
Some of my dearest friends sought the Lord after the death of a child, others were saved at memorial services for babies who died. Abel, though not a child, sets the precedent that even though someone has died, they may still speak (Hebrews 11:4). A child who died having never uttered a word can still point people to the creation, love, and redemption of the Saviour.
Other parents have followed their children into church and
into the faith. Naaman’s entire journey to glory started when a little servant
girl pointed him to salvation (2 Kings 5:3).
Angels can’t do several wonderful things that we can do,
namely about being fruitful. Jesus is clear that angels don’t marry, and by
extension don’t have babies (Matthew 22:30). Angels will rejoice when sinners come
to repentance (Luke 15:10), but they don’t get to lead anyone to repentance. While 1 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4, 3 John 4 speak
of men who became spiritual fathers, angels will never be blessed to lead
anyone to Christ or disciple them in the faith.
Christian, you are called to do the work of an evangelist;
the joy of leading people to the foot of a blood stained cross and calling them
to repentance. An angel can only dream of that privilege.
Conclusion
Your baby in heaven is still a real, human child, perfected
and redeemed; transformed to mirror the image of Jesus Christ. As exciting as
it sounds to have wings, a voice like a roaring lion, and be perpetually blazing
in God’s glory, it is far better to have a saving relationship with Jesus
Christ, to speak for heaven, and to dwell with him for eternity.
Your child did not become an
angel. Angels are a completely different order of created beings. Your child is
something far better: a glorified human soul, perfected in the likeness of
Christ, reigning in a place of honor that angels can only look upon with
wonder. ~ John MacArthur
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